I purchased a pair of British Customs Predator mufflers (polished) for my 2008 Triumph Bonneville, along with a pair of black passenger peg block-offs. I am happy with these products but not so happy with the customer experience.

Online Ordering

Although British Customs has a pretty good looking website, and they have been improving it, it still has at least one huge flaw. When you place your order online, it does not tell you if the products you are ordering are in stock or not.

I placed my order on April 20, 2012, and received an email receipt that looked like everything was in order… no back orders. Then I received a call telling me they were not in stock and I’d have to wait a few weeks. I received an email notice on May 9, 2012 that my order had shipped from an alternate facility. It arrived via FedEx Ground on May 15, 2012, 25 days after my order was placed.

Instructions

When I opened the package, I discovered there were no (as in zero) instructions! Luckily, the Predators are simple and straightforward enough to figure out, so no big problem there. However, the passenger foot peg block-offs came with 4 cap screws and washers, and only one threaded hole on each. So, you naturally ask yourself, what are the extra 2 cap screws and washers for?

I went online and searched for an answer and couldn’t find anything. I went ahead and mounted the Predators to the stock foot peg mounting holes with the block-offs and one cap screw on each. There were no lock washers so I am not sure how long these are going to stay put (See sketch above).

Side Stand Bracket

In the packing box there were also a couple of mysterious black metal bracket looking items and a large cap screw with washers and a nut. They were loose and not in a package and did not have any makings to identify them. Once I got on the bike to fire up the engine I realized that the side stand was hitting the new left side Predator… not good. Then I got the idea that maybe the extra parts were for a kick stand bumper of some kind.

Sure enough, I went online and searched the forums and found I was not alone. Others had ordered Predators and realized there was a problem with the kickstand. Some had fashioned their own bumper pad solutions. Others reported getting a bracket with their order. A few even posted some photos. Here are the threads I found that helped me out.

• http://www.triumphrat.net/twins-technical-talk/175360-bc-predators-where-does-the-sidestand-go.html
• http://www.triumphrat.net/twins-technical-talk/104788-reflections-on-airbox-removal-and-predator-install-3.html#post1261959
• http://www.triumphrat.net/twins-technical-talk/116487-no-bracket-to-hold-side-stand-stopper-on-predators.html

The problem I had was that my bracket had two metal pieces and one bolt (see sketch). Without some kind of diagram or photo, I had no idea what was intended by British Customs for mounting this bracket. So, I shot off an email to BC.

I received a reply to my email inquiry the next day from Sean at British Customs. It turns out they neglected to include the instructions and explanation of the extra parts. Here is a PDF file of those instructions in case anyone else runs into this problem: BC Predator kickstand bracket installation (PDF). Turns out the extra “boomerang” shaped piece I did not need as it is intended for applications where there is a center stand present.

Conclusion

Although I like British Customs and their products, they need to improve the customer experience in my opinion. For a business that provides performance and upgrade products that regular Triumph owners can bolt on, written instructions and diagrams, shipped with every product  should be the minimum standard. Adding additional YouTube videos and downloadable PDF’s for every product would be best.